Dependency Trap #12
Who Has The Keys To Your Business?
Digital businesses have keys too. They’re simply less visible.
Most businesses have keys.
Front door keys.
Office keys.
Vehicle keys.
Digital businesses have keys too. They’re simply less visible.
Whoever controls access often controls the asset.
Today, access controls almost everything in your business:
- Your website
- Your emails
- Your customer records
- Your domain
- Your cloud storage
That’s why the question matters.
Control Doesn’t Always Match Ownership
You may own the business. You may pay the invoices. You may rely upon the system every day.
Yet somebody else may hold the keys.
Most of the time that’s not a problem. Until circumstances change.
Trust Is Important
This article isn’t about distrust. Businesses need trusted suppliers and trusted people.
The goal isn’t removing trust. The goal is avoiding unnecessary risk.
Good suppliers rarely object to clients understanding how access works.
A Useful Review
Take a few minutes to think about:
- Who controls your domain?
- Who controls your email?
- Who controls your website?
- Who controls your customer data?
You may discover everything is exactly as it should be. Or you may uncover a dependency worth addressing.
A Simple Question
If somebody asked who holds the keys to your most important business systems:
Would you know the answer?
If not, it may be worth finding out.